Arcadia Episcopal Preschool

1881 South 1st Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91006
626-445-5050 | Fax: 626-447-6246 | aepoffice1@sbcglobal.net

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Arcadia Episcopal Preschool
June 2010

Dear Parents,

The graduation for the Pre-kindergarten went very well. We enjoyed watching the children sing and share their many talents. They always add some unexpected elements to the program, which makes us laugh. We will miss the families that have been with us for so many years. Please keep in touch. We also have a graduate of our own, Ms. Beth. She will graduate this week from Pasadena City College and has worked very hard at earning her degree. Congratulations, Beth!

Remember what it was like when it was your child’s first day. The uncertainty if this was the right school, if your child would cry all day, if he or she would eat, or would they be comforted when they fell down. Many new students will start this month and with that the uncertainty for new parents and children. Therefore, if you have a minute or two take the time to share a quick insight or say hello to a new parent and child. Sharing is a part of our school. Thank you all for making it so special!

Summer calendars were passed out last week, but if you need to have another one please do not hesitate to ask. I hope that you and your children have a wonderful time discussing all of the great activities planned for June. This month we planned a fundraiser for Muscular Dystrophy. On your calendar it is called the Hop-A-Thon. We will provide literature on the event later in the month.

The staff generally does take vacations during the summer months. We try to use substitutes as little as possible but sometimes it is necessary. Most of the time Ms. Rita and I will substitute in a classroom when needed. Ms. Dory has been on our substitute list for five years. Ms. Jennifer can also teach as an assistant and I am yet looking for a third teacher to sub. Please let me know if you know any qualified and caring individuals.

I am excited about working with Ms. Debbie and Ms. Beth in the new Seahorse class. The Seahorse class will be in Room 2 and the Dolphin class in Room 5. Last week as I moved furniture from different rooms, the children were very excited to play in different centers. It is good to know that they are comfortable with the change.

Welcome to all our new families and if you have any questions about the program please ask Ms. Rita or me.

In God’s Service,

Ms. Marie

From the Assistant Director

Hello Everyone!

I would like to thank all of the parents who made me beautiful cards and gave me the sweetest gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week. Your generosity and thoughtfulness is truly a blessing. The children are looking forward to our summer program. There are going to be a lot of fun things to see and learn this summer. We have several new children starting in our preschool during the summer. This is a big time for changes and transitions. If you would like to bring in sunscreen for your child, please give it to your child’s teacher. They will keep it in the cabinet in the classroom. Daddy and Me Night will be a lot of fun. We hope many dads can come to the event. Many of you have seen how wonderfully our garden is growing. The children are having a great time watering it every week. We took some photos in the garden last week and I have posted them on the door. We are all very proud of our Pre-K graduates. They graduated on May 28th with a lovely ceremony in the Chapel. It is so great to see how far these children have come in all stages of their development. They have matured so much and blossomed into awesome little people. Some of the children have been with us since they were two years old! Now they can take turns, use their words, follow directions and even write their names. We will miss them all at the end of summer. I hope everyone has a wonderful first month of summer.

Take Care,
Ms. Rita


Calendar of Events Daddy and Me Night: June 11 Father’s Day: June 20 First Day of Summer: June 21 Hop-A-Thon: June 25
Dear Butterfly Parents, In the month of June we will do lot of fun activities. Please review your summer calendar daily so that your child may participate in the planned activities. Some of the highlights in June are Petting Zoo Day, Teddy Bear Picnic, the Hop-A-Thon, Pajama Day and Pony Day. I would like to thank all of the mommies and families who came to “Mommy and Me Night”. I hope you had a wonderful and memorable night. Also, I would like to thank you for bringing me gifts during teacher appreciation week. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. I am blessed to work with such wonderful children. The Butterflies had a great month of May. They enjoyed listening to nursery rhymes such as “Hickory, Dickory Dock,” “Humpty Dumpty,” “Little Miss Muffet” and singing “The Wheels on the Bus”. They also learned about different modes of transportation that go in the water and the air, as well as on the road and on tracks. We had fun “travelling” with our toy cars to different places on the transportation road run in the classroom such as: a restaurant, a fire station, a lake, a house and a playground. The children learned to name different places and interact with each other. If the weather gets warmer in June I will remind you to bring in summer clothes. Please check your child’s kid-e-note daily. All clothes need to be labeled with your child’s name. Also please bring in sunscreen with your child’s name on it if you have not brought one in yet. In closing, I would like to invite all daddies or other family members to come to “Daddy and Me Night” on Friday, June 11th at 7:00 p.m. We will have fun activities and a yummy snack. I am looking forward to see you at this event! Sincerely, Ms. Frannie
From The Dragonflies, It is difficult to believe that the school year is over! It seems like just yesterday that I was meeting my new Dragonflies, getting them used to me and the class and now they are all ready to become big Seahorses. It was a fun and exciting school year and I am honored to have been their teacher. In May we spent time learning about Mother’s Day, nursery rhymes and transportation. The children loved making your Mother’s Day gifts and cards. They especially liked having their pictures taken and wanted me to take them over and over again. It was great to see the excitement on their faces when I gave them the cards to color and they saw their pictures on the front. We also had a lot of fun learning different nursery rhymes this month. The Dragonflies especially loved “Little Miss Muffet” which they acted out to help them memorize the rhyme. They enjoyed taking turns being little Miss Muffet and the spider. In June we begin Ms Marie’s fun summer program. During the summer we have different, fun activities planned everyday so we do not really follow our regular curriculum with a weekly lesson plan. Some of the highlights of June include a bubble day, where the children get their own bottles of bubbles and have a chance to go outside and blow them. We also have a petting zoo day when a petting zoo comes to our school and the children get a chance to pet some different types of animals. Along with the summer program I also will continue working with the children on developing their social skills such as turn taking, using their words and being patient. In closing I would like to thank all of the mommies who came to mommy and me night. It was great having you at school and the children enjoyed it very much. I would also like to take the time to remind the dads that it’s their turn this month. We will have Daddy and Me Night on Friday, June 11th at 7 p.m. I hope that you are able to attend school that evening to have snack, join in circle time and create an art activity with your children. Happy Father’s Day to all of our wonderful dads! God Bless, Ms. Marci
From The Seahorses Dear Seahorse Parents, May has come and gone and summer is on its way. We have been tending our garden every Monday at noon. If you would like to join us, you are more than welcome. We have been studying how plants grow. We planted wheatgrass and watched both the sprouts and the roots. It was a very interesting science project for the children. We have been singing nursery rhymes and learning about things that go. Learning rhyming words and playing Road Rules bingo are wonderful ways to develop language. We will continue to engage in language building skills as we transition into the new school year. Lately, the children have been playing more aggressive games in their free time. I find myself monitoring and redirecting children imitating violent actions such as shooting a gun, punching and wrestling. I am working with them towards peaceful behavior, using language as the preferred behavior. Please help us help your children learn and grow. You can do this by: monitoring the types of television programs your children are watching, providing constructive interests such as tools or have them involved in sports programs or play sports with them. Thank you for your support. With the weather being both warm and a bit chilly at times, it is often hard to know what to dress your child in. Layering is a good idea. Jackets and sweaters can be worn to fit the change in weather easily. The clothes in your child’s extra clothes’ box should contain shorts and short sleeved shirts as well as pants and long sleeves. Our dress-up clothes are washed monthly to help protect our students from the spread of germs. We ask that our parents assist us in washing the clothes. If you would like to volunteer, please feel free. It does count towards those important volunteer hours and the children are so proud to tell everyone that their parents helped. Thank you for your support. In closing, I am looking forward to the new challenges and the joy of working with Miss Debbie and the children. Welcome to our new room! Warm wishes for a bright summer! Ms. Beth
From The Dolphins Dear Parents, I cannot believe how quickly the school year has passed. Congratulations Dolphin Class of 2010. I wish all of you the best in your academic future. Please come back to visit me and let me know how you like being kinder-garteners. I will miss each of you so very much. You all did a wonderful job at our graduation ceremony and I’m so proud of all of you. Our summer program begins June 1st. We have many exciting things planned such as bubble day, petting zoo day, and daddy and me night which will be on June 11th at 7:00 p.m. I hope all of the daddies will join us for a fun filled evening. Also in June we will be having our Hop-A-Thon. This is when the children hop as many times as they can to raise money for children with Muscular Dystrophy. We will send home more information when it gets closer to the date. We will end the month with pajama day, pony day and pinwheel day. There have been a few changes to accommodate classroom sizes. The Dolphin room is now room 5 and the Seahorses have moved to room 2. The new Dolphins will be in the same classroom but the learning materials and toys will be moving to room 5 with Ms.Kim. I will also be arranging the room differently so it will feel new to the children. There will also be changes throughout the summer as graduating Dolphins leave us and Seahorses move up to our class. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during these times. I hope everyone has a great month! Thank You, Ms. Kim